Check
by BetweenDreamsAndReality
Summary: A curse plagued upon the White King leaves their kingdom in ruins. The only way to reverse the spell is for his true love to murder him. Chessverse AU. One-shot. Main pairings: UsUk and others.


**I'm back!~ Yes, and I believe I have broken my awful writer's block. I got this idea when playing life-sized chess. Also, I am sorry for all of my updates being all at the same time seeing as I did not know if I would obtain wifi on my trip. ACK! What an amazing trip. I do not want to bore you with all of the details, yet I want to say that it was the most life changing event in my life! Even though the 'family' digressed as the trip progressed, it was still an amazing trip! I cannot put my experiences in words, but of what I can say, I believe I am more nationalistic about my country and will respect all of my troops more so than I already do! I missed a lot of things, so you will have to "deal me back in" tee hee. Also, Happy Olympics and the end of Christmas [since Hima finally returned]. Onto less important topics: my quirky little mind. While in one of the little towns, my mind hatched an idea. This idea was a chessverse AU, not that I do not have enough stories to begin with! But, I have chosen to make this a one-shot! Yeah for one-shots! This is my first ever, so please do not murder me with your words :P and I'm sorry for the terribly written quote-un-quote smut scene. My friends were saying that a ff is not a ff without one mut scene. I _completely_ disagree, but I decided to write one short and sweet. Very short. Sorry, it makes me uncomfortable to write O_O Also, I wrote this in the present, not past tense. Urg, do you know how hard it is? Very! Sorry about the past tense being thrown in there. Please correct me, since I do not have a bata. I should really get one of those (Q_Q)This AU was fun to write and I hope you enjoy it. I had so much time on the plane (8 hours) which were mostly spent asleep or writing. Wow, even this A/N is more organized than my usual rants! Yeah for getting rid of my writer's block! Okay this is way to long [and I am suffering from major jetlag] so I hope you enjoy (/^_^)/ **

**Warnings: Deaths, magic, slight yaoi and AU. **

**Disclaimer: All rights of Hetalia: Axis Powers belongs to our overlord, the glorious Hima. **

* * *

Quick summary

King: More of a figurehead than an actual King, but respected nonetheless. Black-Gilbert. White-Alfred.

Queen: Controls all aspects of politics and the military. Usually holds most of the power in the royal court. Black-Elizaveta. White-Yao.

Bishop(s): In charge of all religious matters in the kingdom. Although not seen as a major threat, the bishops can have more power over the Queen usually during revolts. Black-Antonio and Roderich. White-Francis.

Knight(s): Head of the Pawns and military, the Knight is usually bound to their Kingdom. Black-Lovino and Feliciano. White-Matthew and Arthur.

Rook(s): The Rooks are usually the ones who are trusted with taking care of the economy for their power and strength. Black-Ludwig and Kiku. White-Ivan.

Pawn(s): High ranking officials in the military.

~CHECK~

Alfred sighs in his pale blue padded seat and fumbles with his thumbs quite bored while waiting for the conference below to end. He debates curiously glimpsing his head out of his chamber door for a glimpse of what is going on below his room, but that raises his chance of being caught.

This is his daily routine as of approximately two years ago when the war on the Black kingdom began. He is forced to reside in a white stoned winding turret, with only one small slit that illuminates the room with the golden sun's rays as he overlooks his kingdom from above. The kingdom glistens with white stoned architecture stretching from as far as he could see. Everything from poor farmers who barely scrape by on a day's pay to a pompous noble can be seen from this miniscule window. It truly is a magnificent sight. This is definitely not a perfect way to rule an entire kingdom; especially one as prosperous as the White kingdom, yet desperate times certainly calls for desperate measures.

He dresses more ostentatious than any of the other royals in the White kingdom. His attire consists of a high collared white shirt with sleeves reaching to his wrists where his white gloves began. At the end of the sleeves are light blue cuffs to match his baby blue eyes. Covering the shirt is a long light blue coat reaching past his knees and to the nape of his neck. In his golden hair lies a golden crown with a small cross engraved into it to prove status.

He waits for the other royals, or anyone for that matter, to call for him; alas no footsteps echo below him on a secret marble staircase. The reason for this silent imbalance is the elongated war meeting continuing below. Underneath that very tower are the main castle chambers that the remaining five royals discuss their attack plans on the Black kingdom. However, the conference always ends in a disagreement between the five; this is why they are practically useless. Lucky for them, there are only five royals instead of the full eight due to captures during the war. Only two Knights, one Rook, one Bishop and one Queen remain, excluding Alfred, who is trapped in the tower.

After about an hour of his usual monotonous routine of pacing across the room or tapping his fingers impatiently on the pale blue armrest, a tap is heard at his chamber door. He cautiously grabs his silver plated musket, which he stores securely in his oak wood desk, before stalking towards the door slowly. This is only for precaution because of the constant attacks from the Black kingdom. Before the war, he never even touched a musket because of his many servants and Pawns that protect him. He creaks the door open only to see his loyal Knight, Arthur, standing in the archway.

"You know you shouldn't be playing with those bloody weapons!" the Knight scolds angrily. He storms into his King's bedchamber fuming with frustration from the exhausting meeting and grabs the musket from the other's hand with his white-gloved hands to place it back in the table's drawer.

The Knight dresses quite frugal for the time of day, yet lacks his silver armor. His white, mid length sleeved shirt is wound tightly against his pale skin with matching trousers that reach past his ankles. Above his heart is a horse sewn on his shirt as the emblem of the Knight. A white cape drapes his shoulders encrusted with silver lace. Upon closer examination, the outfit has small blue circuits running the entirety of his attire.

Alfred sighs and sits down on his pale cerulean bed, managing to ruffle his blankets. "I know, I know!" he says unsatisfied because he is treated as if he is still a child. If anything, he should be commanding Arthur what to do, not vice versa.

"It is my duty as your Knight."

Alfred snorts obnoxiously. "Well, noble knight," he says dripping with as much sarcasm as he could possibly muster. He crosses his arms across his chest, ruining the perfectly ironed pale, silk white outfit. "I can protect myself, thank you very much!"

Arthur sighs, knowing that this was only for protection. The King could probably take of himself very well, considering his muscular build, but none of the royals want to take a chance. "Yes, but you know how dangerous spell the Black kingdom casted upon you-"

"The destruction of the King will destroy the kingdom," he recites effortlessly in a monotone inflection.

Arthur stares quite shocked at his reply. He smooths down his wrinkled Knight outfit and justifies "and that is why you are locked in the tower. We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to our kingdom." He gazes into the other's deep-sea orbs. "And I wouldn't want anything to happen to you," he says seductively joining Alfred on the bed, making a small dent and crinkles the white silk sheets as he sits.

"You know how bored I get up here. Can't you stay here just for a while!" he begs with large, pleading sapphire eyes that Arthur could not resist.

"Only for a little while, my King," he says stripping off his own outfit before reaching for Alfred's.

The two intertwine their pale bodies as if they were one as their lips meet for a deep and powerful kiss, their eyes locking on the other's passionately. The only sounds are the inconstant moaning and heavy breathing coming from the two royals. Their hands run up and down the others skin and trace their toned stomachs.

Within a half an hour, the two royals fall asleep tangled together, their clothes littering the white carpet floor. And for that one miniscule moment, nothing else existed.

~CHECK~

Arthur awakes quite jostled realizing he has spent far too much time in Alfred's bed, let alone in his room. His body is quite sore evident by the extent of his disheveled blonde locks and the dark circles growing under his, now, dull green eyes. He shakes the covers off of his body and begins to pick up his clothes and replace them back on appropriately. He rubs his throbbing temples trying to figure out how much time passed.

"Leaving already?" Alfred whines after a large yawn. He rolls over to his side to face his inferior with a sly smile. Although knowing it was inevitable, Alfred still feels a bit hurt after Arthur, or any of the royals, leave him alone to suffer. He has to wait impatiently, never knowing if the royals are alive or dead down the winding white staircase.

Arthur scratches the nape of his neck guilty and faces Alfred. "Well..."

He sits up on the bed revealing only his bare chest. "I understand. Will you come back soon?" His deep sapphire orbs plead meekly for his answer.

"Of course, my King," he states and kisses his love's hand making the two blush furiously as the heat flashes to their cheeks. After his soft lips leave Alfred's hand, he swiftly opens the door and closes it behind him, leaving the King alone once more, who immediately slumps into his chair once more out of pure frustration.

"So...how was it?" a smooth voice asks as the Knight closes the door to the King's tower behind him. The silhouette is leaning against the white stoned walls, one leg crossed in front of the other to balance his weight, as if he was waiting for Arthur to return.

"Ah!" Arthur yells quite startled and steps backwards over his own two feet. For a Knight, he is actually quite clumsy. He quickly refocuses his vision until his emerald eyes match the others face with his name. Golden silk locks, a subtle goatee and sapphire eyes that only belong to one man: the Bishop, Francis.

Francis is dressed quite revealing for a royal member. His shirt is cut quite low, revealing parts of his bare chest and is lined with silver laces. At the ends of his sleeves are silver cuffs clasping onto his wrists with the silver emblem of the bishop pinned on. His shirt is tucked into a pair of silk white trousers which extend to his white dress shoes.

"You still never answered my question," he retorts with a large smirk plastering his entire face as he moves from leaning against the hidden hallway's wall.

"I don't know what you're saying," Arthur says trying to avoid the Bishop by pushing him aside and heading for his own chamber.

"You were up there for quite a while," Francis states with a smirk.

"So?" he asks defensively. "It's impolite to eavesdrop," he says as an obvious cover to avoid the situation at hand.

"I was merely strolling by and happened to hear some odd noises," Francis says cocking an eyebrow, as if he is expecting a long spiel or something.

Instead, the Knight refutes "I-it's not like I like him or anything!"

Francis winks and begins to walk away gracefully. Over his shoulder, he shrugs and says "of course not."

"I do _not_!" he shouts back, yet Francis has already turned the white corridor to his bedchamber. "Bloody," he grumbles and retires to his bedchamber for the evening.

~CHECK~

"Good morning, your majesty," a cheery servant exclaims twisting her petite chocolate fingers in her charcoal hair. It is a bit hard to see her face courteous of the indigo sky lacking any sliver of a silver moon.

For a maid, she is dressed quite ornamentally. A skin tight white dress extending to the floor and white gloves to match. Her chocolate hair is tied on both sides of her head in ribbons. If nobody knew any better, they could believe she is the Queen of the White kingdom. This is only because Francis has taken a liking to this maid.

Arthur tumbles to his back and murmurs acerbically "good morning to you," before pulling the white covers over his head.

"You have a meeting this morning with his majesty the Queen," she states still unfazed by his inability to wake up. Since Francis took her in from a small island near the Black kingdom on a seize, she has remained eternally grateful and promises to work as a servant to repay their kind deeds.

"And what if I refuse?" he asks stubbornly. If there is one thing Arthur hates more than waking up early, it would be waking up early for a war meeting with Yao. Not that the Queen is incapable or anything, Arthur just hates Yao's persistence so prompt in the morning.

"I will not force you up, but your Queen might," she says quite sassy, albeit she is only an adolescent.

Arthur's eyes immediately jolt open knowing how angry the Queen would be if he finds him asleep instead of at his meeting. "I'm up, Angelique! I'm up!" he repeats as his maid smiles quite satisfied.

After a luke-warm bath and a quick change into his clothes, consisting of the same outfit as the night before, plus his silver breasted armor, Arthur makes his way out of his bedroom and into the war chamber halfheartedly.

"There you are, aru," the Queen states impatiently sitting at the marble round table in the middle of the room. The entire room is white, including the ornate tapestries hanging from the windows and the rugs that sleep on the floor. The only exception is the map outstretched on the table in front of them spanning both the Black and White kingdoms and a chart explaining the current situation.

Yao, just like the room itself, is dressed in a regal all-white outfit. His white robe, lined with a royal light blue circuits, rains past his feet with a light sapphire corset hugging his chest for decoration. His arms are covered by the flowing robe material, as well as part of his hands. A silver Queen's tiara, complete with pearls and sapphires, sits upon his raven black hair that is held up by two thin pins to confirm power. At first glimpse, Yao could be mistaken for a female, not a male.

"Where are the others, your highness?" Arthur asks grudgingly taking one of the white padded seats after noticing the lack of shouting that usually echoes the white walls.

"This matter does not concern them," Yao says folding his hands together poignantly. This comment made Arthur raise an eyebrow. Never has he been asked for a personal meeting with his Queen, which meant something terrible obviously happened. "This regards Alfred."

"What about him? Did you find a reverse spell?" he asks hastily and defensively; not that he cares or anything.

Yao shook his head creating two raven black curls in his tied up hair. "I'm afraid not, aru." Arthur immediately grimaces. "But I did discover something."

"Yes...?" he asks impatiently, now, staring into Yao's copper eyes reasonably interested in his next words.

"A new spell. One that will change the fate of the old one."

Arthur slumps in his seat as if nothing was accomplished at all, as nothing really was. He picks at his cuticles and glowers "and how do you propose to do that?"

"Actually, I researched the spell and found out that true love can break the spell."

He rolls his eyes quite exasperated that his Queen has the nerve to wake him up so early to discuss matters so immature. "You called me down this early just to tell me nonsense about true love's first kiss?"

He begins to get up from the white cushioned chair, however the Queen stops him by shaking his head and adding "you are misunderstanding. Only his true love can kill him without affecting the kingdom."

"W-what!" Arthur sputters once he comprehends that killing is involved. An image floods his mind, but is quickly shunned as he never wants to see his own love die, especially of his doing. He shivers in his seat, horrified at his own mind's manifestations.

"And by that reaction, I am guessing you are his true love," he says slyly, although the entire kingdom practically knows this fact.

He crosses his arms across his chest and shouts radically "he never deserved this!"

"He was stupid enough to declare war, so he has to pay the penalty."

"The Black kingdom was marching on our land. There was no choice but to fight!" he defends. Two and a half years ago, the Black kingdom marched soldiers into White kingdom territory claiming it was merely defense against the border town. According to the Black kingdom, the townspeople were attacking their base, and managed to kill a couple of soldiers; however, this was not the case. The Black kingdom wanted that town as an important port town and for its naval base, which is why they attacked on the small town.

"That is not the point, aru!" he shouts, raising his voice with each passing word. "This is a matter of loyalty to your kingdom or some traitorous King! You will have to kill the King to restore balance to our kingdom, aru!"

"Even if I was his true love, I would never bloody kill him!"

"You will kill him and become King, that is final," he says firmly making Arthur wince at his words. Never has he heard his Queen speak such awful and treacherous words, as that is reserved for the Rook.

The Queen rests his face in his palm and sighs after realizing what he asked someone so young to do. "I'm sorry. That is a lot to ask of you."

Arthur bows his head low and interrupts him by stating "I will do this." Automatically he regrets those words, but are unable to take them back as if something was tainting his choices. He feels his stomach swirling and churning as he, also, has just betrayed, not only his King but, his love.

Yao places a hand on his shoulder. "I am eternally grateful. I know this is going to be hard for you, nevertheless it is the only way. You have gained his trust and apparently became something quite close. We will give you until the next attack from the Black kingdom until we expect him dead. Do not tell the others until the deed is done. Good day to you." With those words, Yao turns on his heel and walks out of the meeting room.

~CHECK~

"King Gilbert, the war meeting is starting soon," Elizaveta practically sings in her high pitched voice. She _is_ the Queen of the Black kingdom, which is why Gilbert tolerates her usually annoying antics. Also he has always had a crush on her ever since he found out she would rule alongside him as Queen, even though he always thought she was a male seeing as positions are gender neutral.

Elizaveta is deemed the most beautiful lady of the entire Black kingdom, which is one of the many reasons Gilbert always took a liking to her. The Queen's inflated black lace dress, which she is not too fond of, squeezes her waist. Running up and down the dress are red circuits, similar to those of the White kingdom. Draping over his intricate dress is a vest-like cloak, the color of scarlet, reaching to her mid-thigh. Her arms are covered by lacy black gloves preventing her from doing anything too masculine. What she hates most of all about the outfit are the black high heels that add six inches to her, already, beautiful structure. A ruby jewel encrusted tiara sits upon her long light brown tresses, marking the position of Queen.

"Again?" he whines as if he was a spoiled princess, which he practically is. "Why won't those girls just surrender already!"

Gilbert, just like Queen Elizaveta, hates dressing up in his King's attire. His costume consists of a black collar shirt which is tucked into his black trousers. At the end of the arm length sleeves are scarlet red cuffs to match his crimson colored eyes. Draping over his shoulders is a long red cloak with black speckled fur lining stretching down to his feet, and shadows behind him as he walks. Along his entire attire are small red circuits, similar to the rest of the royalty. His platinum, almost white, hair engulfs a golden crown in which a cross is decorated in the front.

He, reluctantly, follows his Queen up the tall black stone tower to the war room, which is already filled with the other six royals. As if on cue, the others stand and bow politely.

"King Gilbert and Queen Elizaveta," the others recite in perfect unison.

Gilbert raises a hand after slumping into the red padded chair at head of the black granite table. "Let us begin," he says unenthusiastically and props his feet onto the table. He just wants to be done with this meeting so he can get back to drinking alcohol with his friends.

"At least _try_ and act respectful," Roderich, one of the two Bishops, scolds and angrily pushes his feet off of the pristine granite table.

Roderich is dressed quite conservatively in comparison to the other royals. He wears a high collared black shirt with a scarlet red coat cascading to his knees. His shirt is neatly tucked into his pair of black trousers, complete with a red belt. At the ends of his sleeves are golden cuffs clasping onto his wrists with the golden emblem of the Bishop pinned on. The only aspect that is quite messy is his brunette hair with one stray curl sticking out at the crown of his head.

"Whatever," he says with a grimace before starting with "what is our attack plan?"

"Well, I say we attack now," Ludwig, one of the Rooks, says.

Ludwig is a stern man with light blonde hair slicked back and bright cerulean eyes, appearing almost nothing like his brother: King Gilbert. His attire consists of a black high collared short sleeved shirt, revealing his electric red circuit tattoos running along his muscles. His emblem of the Rook, a charcoal castle, is pinned to his gold cuffs to display status. Additionally, he wears black trousers splattered with scratches from earlier wars to evoke fear in his enemies. For footwear, he chooses to wear tall black boots made for the Pawns and others high ranking in the military.

"What!" they all sputter in shock.

Gilbert continues by asking "why would you say that?"

"Their kingdom is weak. If we target their king, we will succeed," Kiku says with an evil look glazing over his dark brown eyes, a sight no one had expecting from this Rook.

Kiku is definitely less frightening in both appearance and personality than Rook Ludwig. This Rook is abundantly shorter than his counterpart with dull brown eyes and short dark hair. He wears a black shirt with attachable sleeves lined with red circuits and slacks to match. On his gold cuffs are two black castles symbolizing the insignia of a Rook. Overall, his outfit is quite plain for a member of royalty.

"Kiku, what did they ever do to us?" Feliciano pleads small. He is too naïve to understand the delicate balance of the two kingdoms, or the constant tensions between the two kingdoms.

"Feli, stay out of this," Lovino grits through clenched teeth.

The two Knights are dressed up almost identically in an almost entire red ensemble. Their red shirts are tucked loosely into their scarlet trousers reaching to their black loafers. Above their hearts are patches sewn into their shirt signaling the loyalty of a Knight. Covering the entirety of their clothes is black armor with the outlines of red circuits. They are dressed just like the Pawns, and if not for their emblem, nobody would even know they are the Knights of the Black kingdom.

Elizaveta shakes her head and suggests "Feli, your brother is right. I propose a surprise attack within the next week. I will gather the Pawns and plan to disperse by Monday. I want to find the King and kill him."

"Nobody has seen the White King in years," Antonio, the second Bishop, explains. "Even if we do find him, we have no idea what he looks like!"

With the exception of the high collared shirt, Antonio and Roderich are dressed practically the same. His black mid length sleeved shirt is hidden by a red coat, resembling the pirates that terrorize the seas. Instead of golden cuffs, his cuffs are the shade of midnight black with the emblem of the Bishop pinned on his left wrist. His auburn hair, also distinct from Roderich, is combed neatly back without a stray piece of hair in sight.

"But he has to be alive!" Gilbert exclaims throwing his hands in the air fairly irritated. "Or else the kingdom would have fallen by now. I second my Queen's plan."

Elizaveta nods. "Thank you Gil, I will make sure that we do not fail you!"

"And you will succeed. I will not rest until the entire White kingdom has fallen!"

The other royals cheer and toast to an alcoholic liquid to an era of prosperity for the Black kingdom, all but Feliciano.

~CHECK~

"Arthur!" Ivan sings from the dining room as he notices Arthur strolling along the corridor. He drops his silverware onto his plate and pushes it aside while gesturing for the Knight to join him at the table. "I have not seen you for a while."

Ivan is the last remaining Rook to the White kingdom due to his daunting nature. His clothing consists of a white high collared long sleeved shirt with a white castle pinned to his silver cuffs to prove his royalty. Additionally, he wears pristine white trousers with electric blue circuits running the entire length. Along with Ludwig, he chooses to wear tall military boots to induce distress in others; something his appearance does quite well alone. His hook nosed face is mostly covered by a light scarf, tattered near the fringes, which has been passed down from previous Rooks.

"Ah, Rook Ivan," Arthur says forcing a smile. After the news Yao had just told him, he is really not in the mood to talk, especially to his terrifying Rook. Unenthusiastically, he joins the Rook in the white colored dining room. In the center of the room is a long white marble table in which he takes one of the baby blue padded seats. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Cut the bullshit," he says with a childish grin plastering his face. He circles one of his fingers around his empty glass. "What gives you the right to talk to _my_ Queen without _my_ permission?"

"I really meant no harm," he explains defensively as Ivan's childish grin began to scare the young Knight. Of all the royals that are left after all the captures, the Rook is definitely the scariest of them all. The only person in the world that can scare him is his sister, now deceased after one of the wars between the kingdoms.

"Ah, but if you do not want any harm, you will tell me what you two were discussing yesterday, da?"

Arthur scowls and locks his arms across his chest unconsciously. "Why not ask _your_ Queen?"

"My little sunflower will not talk politically with me."

He grimaces "And what makes you think I will?" If Yao does not talk political matters with him, what made the Rook think Arthur, of all the royals, would trust him. He refuses to trust any of the royals and sometimes even Alfred.

"Because I could easily kill your little lover and destroy this kingdom," he says with a smirk, knowing he has found Arthur's weakness. He is always relatively good at finding others weaknesses, which is why the kingdom tolerates his tyranny. Or at least goes along with it.

Arthur frowns. Although he does not like the idea, he might as well tell somebody. "Fine. Yao found a new spell: one that will not destroy the kingdom if he is killed." Ivan opens his mouth to interject, yet Arthur cuts him off by explaining "this only works for his true love."

"And that would be you?"

His emerald eyes gaze into his pale hands, unable to face his Rook. "Yes. If I kill him, he will die and I will become King and the White kingdom will be saved."

He claps his hands together, overjoyed at the other royal's comment, making the other quite confused. "Then what are you waiting for?"

The blonde swallows. "Yao gave me until the next attack from the Black kingdom."

"Why wait until then?" he asks throwing his hands in the air to amplify his discontent. He wants any form of revenge for the war that took his family away, especially on Alfred. If not for him, the war would have never existed and his family would be alive.

"You wouldn't kill Yao to be Queen, correct? Now why would I kill Alfred to be King?"

"Do you really want him to sit there miserable?"

"No but-"

"But nothing! I agree with Yao, you will lead our kingdom back to prosperity. You will have the power you rightfully deserve we could end this state of warring once and for all! Something that idiot is too stubborn to do."

As tempting as it sounds, Arthur replies "I cannot just kill my love! How could I possibly do that? I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Ivan stands up from his seat and grins his famous smile at the young Knight. "That is a bridge you will cross when you get there, King Arthur."

~CHECK~

Alfred jolts awake from his silk sheets after two sharp raps are heard at his chamber door. "Come in, Mattie," he calls with a groan and the chamber door opens before him after Matthew fumbles the key into the tumblers. There are only two people in this entire world with the key beside Alfred, being Yao and his brother Matthew. Even Arthur is not trusted enough to have a key, even after constant pleas from both the Knight and King.

"Good morning," he states warmly and sets a plate of food down on the small round table. Although he is Alfred's other Knight, he is burdened with the task of bringing him food every morning. In reality, he enjoys watching his brother's face lighten when he enters the room, even if it is just because he is hungry after all.

After noticing the smell of the freshly prepared food, the King springs out of his warm bed and pulls a chair over to the table. Within seconds, he picks up his fork and knife and cuts the various confectionaries his brother offered. "Thanks Mattie!"

The Knight is dressed in his full attire, consisting of silver armor covering his frugal outfit. Sketched into the armor are small blue circuits, similar to the other royal garments. Underneath his armor is a silk mid length sleeved shirt which is tucked in neatly to his pale blue slacks. Above his heart is a horse sewn onto his shirt as the emblem of the Knight.

He smiles sentimentally, missing the constant bubbly aura his brother usually contributes. Although the two twins may share the same gold locks and wired glasses covering their blue colored eyes, they are complete opposites personality wise. "I am glad you are enjoying your breakfast." He begins to walk back to the chamber door before any of the other royals realize he is missing.

"Please stay," Alfred begs as usual and pops one of Francis' famous croissants into his mouth, after adding a layer of chocolate, of course, with his knife. "I do not like to be alone. What if there are ghosts?"

Matthew chuckles and ruffles his older brother's wheat blonde hair, knowing that nothing else annoys his more in the entire world. Then he reaches for Alfred's glasses lying on his bedside table and teeters them in front of his twin's sapphire eyes. "I think ghosts are the least of your concerns right now."

He scowls and fixes his hair with his fingers, managing to miss his signature hair piece that he calls 'Nantucket' and readjusts his glasses. "I'm serious! You could never be too careful, right?"

The younger brother places a hand on his hip, ruffling his white Knight's outfit, complete with a white cloak. "And what would happen if I did stay? Do you really think the 'ghosts' would leave you alone?"

"Ghosts only attack when people are alone," Alfred recites from one of the novels from the bookshelf Yao installed for entertainment last year.

"You should stop polluting your mind with childish nonsense," he scolds although he secretly envies Alfred's childlike attitude, despite being locked in a tower for eternity. If Matthew is to be put into the same scenario, he would not be able to act as strong and cheerful as he brother is.

The elder brother pouts and sticks out his tongue immaturely. "You are beginning to sound a lot like Arthur."

The Knight chuckles "am I, eh?"

Alfred nods, eating the last of Francis' croissants and gulping it down with Yao's homemade tea. "You should be careful. You might end up having your eyebrows grow to his size."

Matthew giggles. "Al, you know that wouldn't happen. Anyways, what is so bad about acting a little mature? We are nineteen after all."

"Age is but a number," he states and dips his fingers into his bowl of oatmeal.

He rolls his, almost purple, blue eyes. "I have to get going before anyone realizes my absence," he lies knowing very well that nobody would notice, or care for that matter, if he spends the entire day with Alfred. The only reason he does not, is because he cannot handle watching his brother die slowly.

The King pouts. "What if I command you to stay? Then you have to stay!"

He ruffles his brother's hair once more and blatantly ignores his brother's comment. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye," Alfred says, although his comment is muffled by the food in his mouth.

~CHECK~

"Miss Elizaveta," Feliciano calls from the rounded archway into the weapons room. His cheeks were red as well as his usually cheerful copper eyes, signaling that he has been crying ever since the meeting was adjourned.

The Queen sighs and turns around to reveal only a fraction of her black and red armor is on her body. Personally, Elizaveta never cares for armor, as she deems it is just another trivial item she needs to lug around to battle. However, the other royals do not see eye to eye on this decision, except maybe King Gilbert. The rest of her outfit is an old heirloom that all Queens are mandated to wear on the battlefield consisting of a black skin tight dress with red circuits running through the length and matching cloak. Elizaveta doesn't care for this outfit either and someday hopes that the entire outfit will be ripped to shreds in battle. "I'm a bit busy now, Feli. State what you need."

"Please don't leave," he whimpers and runs over to hug the Queen, his caretaker. After his grandfather, along with his parents, died in a tragic incident when he was only five, Elizaveta took on the responsibility and raised Lovino and Feliciano as her own.

Elizaveta hugs him tightly and runs her fingers through his auburn hair, just like she has been doing ever since he was a child. "Feli, it is going to be okay."

"What if you get captured?" he sniffles and rubs his runny nose with the sleeve of his black attire.

"My Rooks and Pawns will protect me," she states boldly and continues to collect more weapons to use, mostly old-fashioned bow and arrows. She prefers archery over any other form of weaponry, even the newly invented muskets. As a child, she always fought with bows and arrows, why should this time be any different?

"Ludwig is coming too?" he asks with tears filling his eyes. Secretly, he has taken a small interest to the Rook yet admits it to nobody but his twin brother.

"I know better than to go alone into battle."

"What if you do not find the missing King?"

"We will capture more royals until we do." Already two of their royals are captured, but refuse to tell where the King is hiding, even after some 'persuasion' methods. Keeping the captured royals alive prevents the positions from being replenished. If they're killed, the White kingdom would just manage to find a suitable replacement.

"Wow," he gapes. "You sound so strong and brave. I wish I was more like you," he says looking to his hands.

Elizaveta coos "aren't you just the sweetest?" This makes Feliciano's cheeks blush pink. She bunches her luxurious brown locks into a bun and states "now run along, I have some more preparations before we leave this evening."

Feliciano nods and salutes. "Yes, ma'am."

She smiles at him, as if it is going to be the last glimpse she ever sees of the child she raised. "That's my boy."

~CHECK~

"Visiting the King again?" Ivan asks in the shadows of the hallway. For being quite tall and well-built, Ivan is particularly good at lurking in the obscurities.

Arthur jumps, his heart race beating faster than usual. He grits through his teeth, after smacking the Rook on his arm, "what the fuck?"

Disregarding Arthur's violence, he asks with a pleasured grin, as if he enjoys frightening the Knight, "did I scare you?"

He scowls in an attempt to return his heart beat to a normal pace. "What do you want?"

"To give you something," he says with a smile and places a knife into the Knight's cupped hands. Arthur, immediately, drops the knife, which crashes to the floor with a sharp shock. The knife remains unfazed by the descent, noticeably by the lack of shatters.

"I told you I was not going to do it!" he shouts banging his fists against Ivan's muscular chest.

"Why stall, da? Now is your chance!" He picks up the knife and returns it into Arthur's hands.

"I refuse," he declines, whilst the knife remains in his hands.

"You cannot run from your destiny," he states, beginning to sound moderately like Yao's explanation of destiny and mystical forces.

He glares darkly at the Rook, practically cutting the atmosphere with his gaze. "Why do you care so much? You will not gain anything from this!"

"What about a full set of royals? Or a stable and peaceful kingdom? King Arthur-"

"Do not dare call me that horrible name," he grits as if it is an order or a command rather than a statement. "I am a mere Knight, loyal to King Alfred."

"You could be something more. Something more meaningful. Something more powerful. Yet you refuse your fate."

"I refuse to disobey my King."

"If you do not kill him, you will be disobeying your country, your kingdom."

"Get out of my sight, you leech!" he shouts, only to find out that nobody is actually with him; and that he had been alone the entire time. Yet, the knife remains in his hands.

_Is my conscious trying to tell me something?_ he asks mutely to his thoughts.

He quickly runs up the narrow tower staircase, letting the knife drops and shatter at his feet. He knocks at the door, heavily breathing, before it is opened by a disheveled Alfred. "What is with all the banging?" he asks rubbing his eyes, which lacked his usual wired glasses.

"I was in a hurry to see you…?" he says as an obvious die.

Due to Alfred's oblivious nature, he believes him and wraps his arms around his neck as usual. "Artie!"

"Can't…breathe…" Arthur gasps after being practically hugged to death by Alfred's firm hold.

He bows sheepishly. "Sorry. Sometimes, I do not even know my own strength!"

Arthur nods awkwardly and thinks back to his talk with the personification of Ivan. It was all just a figment of imagination, however why were Ivan's words true? "Al, are you happy up here?" Arthur asks after an elongated pause.

"Not when you come and visit me," he says without hesitation and grins for his Knight as part of his façade.

The imaginary Ivan's words linger in his mind as if they were being echoed in his thick Russian accent once more in Arthur's ears. Ivan felt real just moments ago. "What if I die?"

He wraps his muscular arms around the Knight, who is deemed much smaller in body frame structure. "Now why would you even say those awful thoughts?"

He scoffs "just forget it. Sleep well."

"You too," he says peppering his neck with kisses before Arthur leaves the tower once more.

~CHECK~

Alfred jerks awake, not fully realizing he fell asleep to begin with. _That dream_, he thinks t himself _it felt so real. _It is the same reoccurring dream he has had for the past week. One that he watches himself get murdered, unable to move or cry for help, by a silhouette.

A knock at the door fully awakens the lethargic King as he reaches for his wired glasses and hangs them on the bridge of his nose. "Coming!" he exclaims and opens the door, quick to forget about his nightmare.

Standing in the archway is an irritated Arthur. "Where is your musket?" he lectures and storms into the room. "What if I was an assassin?"

He yawns. "But you're not." He walks over to his window and opens the shade, letting in golden sun drops from the afternoon. He looks out into the distance, far past the horizon, however his eyes fix on dark figures.

"What is it?" Arthur asks noticing the King is distracted by something outside and his shoulders noticeably tense a tad.

"I think the Black kingdom is attacking," he says shakily and grips onto Arthur's shirt, bunching the white fabric into his hands as tears surge from deep in his eyes.

"That's impossible, love," he says taking Alfred's hands and intertwining them into his own, not caring about the ruffles in his shirt, for once. Never has Arthur experienced the all-powerful King of the White kingdom break down and cry. He has always been so strong, so carefree, and yet so vulnerable.

"No, really!" Alfred shouts and points out the window.

Arthur cranes his neck, reluctantly, to satisfy his King's desires. Just as Alfred had explained, a battalion of Black Pawns, led by the Black Queen and Rooks, are moving closer to the tower. Albeit, there were only ten ornate soldiers, dressed in black and red outfits, marching towards the castle.

"Artie, I want you to find someplace safe," he explains quite panicked and wipes the last of his tears again, for Arthur's sake. He does not want to lose someone so important to him, at least not like this.

Arthur whips Alfred's caring hands away and shouts "get off me you fool!"

"Arthur, as your King, I command you to stay up here with me for protection," he says standing from sitting on his white and pale blue bed to show authority.

"Why should I listen to _you_?" he snaps making the King flinch. He begins to remember Ivan's words, and begin to pour out sentences foreign to his nature. "At least I do not hide from my problems! Some King you are locked in a tower. You are not the bloody boss of me! You shouldn't even deserve _this_ power! I should be King!"

"Arthur Edward Kirkland," he says harshly making Arthur pout knowing how much Arthur hates being called his full name. "I am doing this for your own protection," he says softening.

He frowns. "I do not need protection, especially from someone who cannot even protect himself let alone an entire kingdom!"

"If you would all just let me out of the fucking tower-"

"So you could ruin our kingdom?"

"Get out!" he shouts powerfully.

Arthur is taken aback, but listens to him. Before slamming the door shut he yells "I hate you!"

~CHECK~

Roderich paces back and forth in his bedchamber, anxiously expecting a letter from Elizaveta. She claimed that she would write back to the Kingdom every day, yet no letter came since their departure, making Roderich worry about their safety.

He is startled when a powerful slam is heard at his door and reluctantly opens the chamber door. "Any news?" he asks the King as he enters his bedroom.

Gilbert shakes head and sits on Roderich's red mahogany desk, swinging his feet from the high desk. "I'm afraid not. Knowing Elizaveta, she has made it there successfully!" In between his pointer and middle finger, he grabs one of Roderich's model scale pieces of both the White and Black kingdoms.

He looks into Gilbert's piercing red eyes and then to the Black Queen piece he is twirling in his hand. "How can you be so sure?"

"In my youth, I used to be great friends with the Queen. Her brute strength and determination led me to believe she was a male." He chuckles at the memory. Quickly, he collects his thoughts and finishes with "I wouldn't have let her go off on this mission if I didn't believe she was prepared."

"And if the White kingdom finds her-"

"There is no if!" Gilbert interrupts and places the piece back on the board. "The White kingdom will not find her, and they never will. They are weak without a King, and will soon crumble."

"How do we even know if the spell worked?"

Gilbert glares at his Bishop and picks up the Black King piece. "My father sacrificed his life for this spell; it _will_ work."

Roderich nods hastily, never once seeing this darker side of Gilbert. "I am sorry that I doubted you, your majesty."

Gilbert snorts before taking his leave, knocking over the game board out of unadulterated frustration.

~CHECK~

"Have you seen Arthur around?" Matthew asks Yao for the second time from behind the pompous Queen.

"Oh, Matthew, I didn't see you there, please excuse me," Yao says sheepishly after turning around.

The Knight glares at his remark. People think that he is used to be ignored, this beginning long before the enchantment was casted upon his brother. In reality, he could not tolerate the other's insensitive behavior and asks for the third time, reasonably vexed, "have you seen Arthur?"

The Queen looks at his feet, trying to avoid telling Matthew the truth. Yao knows how close the two brothers are, and informing him that Arthur is going to kill his twin brother would ruin the plan completely. "I wouldn't recommend going to see him."

"And why is _that_?" he asks harshly and glares at the Queen with piercing blue eyes.

He quickly changes the subject by explaining "the Black kingdom is quickly approaching. I estimate they will be at our doorsteps by dusk."

"Dusk!" Matthew sputters checking the height of the sun through a window. All he can think about is the safety of his brother and how lost he must seem, alone in the tower. "That is barely enough time to prepare!"

"I know, and harder on Arthur. I suggest you give him some time alone," Yao says wearily and places one hand on his shoulder. He cannot afford to have his perfect plan ruined by Matthew's loyalty to his brother.

He brushes Yao's hand away and states "I'm going to go and speak with him."

Before Yao could protest, Matthew sprints down the hallway until he is in front of Arthur's chamber. He slowly opens the door, which is surprisingly unlocked, and asks shakily "hello?"

A smirk grows on the young Knight's face. In a voice, foreign to what Matthew expects, Arthur says "Alfred, what a pleasant surprise."

He squints in the pitch black room, barely getting a glimpse of the other Knight. "Arthur, it is me, Matthew. Are you feeling alright, it doesn't even sound like you."

He rises from his bed, although shorter than Matthew is stands proudly in front of his face and licks his dry lips. "What are you talking about, my King?" He reaches for something metallic under his white cloak and stabs the other Knight with it, smiling deviously.

Matthew's eyes look down at the knife piercing his chest cavity as blood trickles out, staining his white cloak. His knees buckle from under him, due to the loss of blood. Arthur rips the bloody knife out of Matthew's body and laughs as he watches him gasp for air.

Arthur breaks out of his trance and watches, horrified, Matthew's body grow limp. He looks down at his own blood tainted hands, not believing he is the murderer. He shudders at the scene. His body weakens from underneath him as he kneels beside the blonde's dead body. "I'm sorry," he apologizes, yet Matthew is already deceased.

~CHECK~

"Oh, I am so glad that you finally came back! I am so sorry about before!" he shouts watching the mahogany tower double doors open and close abruptly. He is not expecting any visitors, especially any of the royals, however he is not complaining since it was his loyal Knight, or so he thought. He hates, more than anything, to stay locked in his tower without anyone to talk to, especially this long without Arthur. Honestly, he is just glad Arthur even came back after what happened.

The other blonde reaches for something metallic from under his white and cobalt cloak. "Rest assure all is forgiven."

"W-what are you doing?" he asks shakily noticing that his most trusted has just pulled out a knife on him. He rises from his chair as if to show his superiority over the Knight.

The Knight seems to scoff off his actions casually. "Sorry, it is merely part of the game," he explains, in the same foreign voice as before, licking crimson liquid off the knife he pulled out. He inches closer to the other with a snarky grin plastering his face.

Shakily he asks "g-game? What do you mean by that?"

The other blonde smirks "checkmate."

THE END

* * *

**Hmmm...what to do, what to do. First off, some short explanat****ions. 1) The Black kingdom has a complete line of royals while they captured two of the White kingdom's royals. Although they are not mentioned, I decided that they were Australia and New Zealand. Sorry if you wanted to see them. 2) The images and foreign voice that Arthur experiences is still unknown to me. For right now, it is one of the royals [either Yao or Ivan] controlling his thoughts using dark magic until I can think of something more clever. 3) Sorry for the horrible grammar and OOC-ness [especially my poorly written smut which I deeply apologize for it's cringeworthy writing]. I really need a beta *hint hint* if any of you are interested. 4) The outfit designs were hard to come up with. Some of it was inspired by this one artist who drew the allies and axis in chessverse, but I added my own special twists! 5) Sorry for character deaths, I should've warned you about those. Urg. Is it too late to change that? I kinda want to keep you at the edge of your seats. Maybe Alfred isn't actually dead or whatever...I don't know. 6) Gilbert's father is old Fritz, who sacrificed himself for the sake of the curse. A curse that powerful, in this AU, requires ample enough blood to activate, hence why he ended up dying. 7) I don't really have the ages down, so please do not ask how old they are. For everyone's sake, they are the ages Hima decided. 8) Any similarities in stories are purely coincidental! 9) I am exhausted, so I am going to go watch the Olympics and then sleep. If I notice anything note-worthy I will surely point it out. **

**Now that those things are out of the way, I want to hear some of your thoughts! Any suggestions, comments or constructive criticism** **I would love to hear! If I get enough [positive] feedback, I might end up writing a short sequel or prequel or something along the lines of that. If you don't mind, please leave me a review or a PM (who am I kidding nobody is even going to read this) and thank you for reading! If you really want to, you can follow me at: **betweendreamsandrealityy . tumblr . com** (without all of the spaces and with two Ys) I really like this AU and I hope you did to~ **


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